|
Showing 1 - 4 of
4 matches in All Departments
As scientific analysis of testable hypotheses has replaced the
speculative approach to study of bone disease in recent and fossil
amphibians and reptiles, the field has advanced from simply
reporting observations to analyzing their implications. This
process is predicated upon a reproducible data base which
explains/diagnoses the nature of bony alterations and a secure
review of the literature. Thereby hangs the rub. The herpetological
literature are difficult to access (let alone read) and are
scattered through many prominent and eclectic journals and in the
lay literature. While older diagnoses often have not stood the test
of time, the clarity of report descriptions usually allows
confident identification of the underlying pathology.
This edited volume explores the various views on the origins of
tetrapods-amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals-views that agree
or differ depending in part on how certain fossil animals are
classified and which methodology is used for classification.
Eighteen chapters by an international group of paleontologists and
neontologists here present current hypotheses, emphasizing the
kinds of data needed to answer controversial questions, as well as
the variety of solutions that emerge from diferent analyses of the
same data set. The book is arranged in five sections, each of which
contains an overview essay that either describes the development of
various schools of thought regarding the origin of the tetrapod
group in question or critically summarizes the arguments presented
in the section. The first section addresses the origins of
tetrapods as a group, focusing on lobe-finned fishes and early
tetrapods. Next is a section dealing with amphbians, followed by
one on reptiles. The fourth section concerns avian origins, and the
final section treats the origins and early diversification of
mammals. With an overall goal of stimulating critical evaluation by
the reader rather than providing unequivocal answers, this volume
will be of particaular interest to vertebrate paleontologists,
evolutionary morphologists, and ichthyological, herpatological,
avian, and mammalian systematists.
|
You may like...
Higher
Michael Buble
CD
(1)
R172
Discovery Miles 1 720
Barbie
Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling
Blu-ray disc
R266
Discovery Miles 2 660
|